Word Origin & History

"to put a mark on," Old English mearcian (West Saxon), merciga (Anglian) "to trace out boundaries," from Proto-Germanic *markojanan (cf. Old Norse merkja, Old Saxon markon, Old Frisian merkia, Old High German marchon, German merken "to mark, note," Middle Dutch and Dutch merken), from the root of mark (n.1).

Influenced by Scandinavian cognates. Meaning "to have a mark" is from c.1400; that of "to notice, observe" is late 14c. Meaning "to put a numerical price on an object for sale" led to verbal phrase mark down (1859). Mark time (1833) is from military drill. Related: Marked; marking. Old French merchier "to mark, note, stamp, brand" is a Germanic loan-word.

Example Sentences for marking down

So she starts her drawing by marking down thirty-eight closets.

Carrie made a first-rate dog, marking down the birds unerringly.

If I would render my vengeance complete, I must be wary; silent and crafty as the leopard when marking down his prey.

It will be sufficient to number up to one hundred, and then begin again, marking down each additional hundred.

Measure the angle CAX, either in degrees, with a protractor, or by sighting along a piece of paper and marking down the angle.

It wants no marking down,” replied Briscoe: “the place will tell its own tale to anyone hunting for it.

When our friends left I at once followed them in the hopes of marking down their invisible attendant.

Armed with note-books they waltzed round our sorry purchases, marking down their peculiarities.

It is the greatest invention man has ever made, this of marking down the unseen thought that is in him by written characters.

How intermittent is our good Jocelin; marking down, without eye to us, what he finds interesting!